Cold-fermentation pizza dough guide

A starting formula for three pizza dough balls

This home-oven formula uses 500 g flour and makes about 842 g dough: three balls of about 281 g. It adapts a published New York-style range and uses the same starting percentages as the New York preset in our pizza dough calculator [1].

The total is 168.4% of the flour weight: 500 × 1.684 = 842 g. Use a scale for the yeast. If you change yeast type, use the yeast converter and check the packet instructions. Sugar helps browning in a home oven; it is included in these weights [1].

Mix, chill, relax and bake

1. Mix the flour and instant yeast. Add the water, salt and sugar, then work in the oil. Knead until the dough is smooth.
2. Divide into three equal balls. Put them in lightly oiled food containers with room to expand. Cover and refrigerate promptly for about 12 to 72 hours, checking the dough’s condition as described below.
3. Keep the refrigerator at 4 °C (40 °F) or below. A refrigerator thermometer is more useful than the number on its dial.
4. Before baking, let the covered dough relax until it stretches without snapping back. Plan roughly 2 to 3 hours at room temperature for this style, then judge the dough.
5. Stretch gently and top lightly. Bake on a fully preheated stone or steel until the base has browned spots, the rim has colour and the centre is baked through. Use the home-oven pizza method for loading and finishing; judge the bake by its appearance rather than transferring one fixed time to every oven.

The refrigerated method and the room-temperature finishing window come from the published dough procedure [1]. A home-oven stone or steel method can use a 260 °C (500 °F) preheat for at least one hour; follow the baking surface manufacturer’s instructions [2]. For refrigeration, keep the dough separate from raw meat and use clean covered containers [3].

24, 48 or 72 hours?

This style has a published refrigerated working window of about 12 to 72 hours [1]. The table is a planning aid, not a promise that one yeast dose behaves identically in every fridge. Keep the rest of the formula consistent when changing the schedule.

Fix the handling problem you can see

• Snaps back: cover and rest it longer before stretching.
• Sticks badly: use a lightly floured bench and check hydration before changing the recipe.
• Collapsed and tears easily: shorten the next cold stage or use a formula designed for a longer fermentation.
• Dry skin: cover the container properly and leave expansion room.
• Dense rim: check proofing readiness and preserve the gas around the edge while shaping.

Freeze dough you will not use

Freeze portioned dough in lightly oiled, freezer-safe containers or bags before you lose its strength. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow it to relax before stretching; follow the storage instructions for the recipe you use [4]. Keep the mix date and formula with the saved recipe in CookBook.

Sources

1. PizzaMaking.com: New York-style pizza dough formula and refrigerated method
2. King Arthur Baking: New York-style pizza oven method
3. USDA FSIS: Refrigeration and food safety
4. King Arthur Baking: Freezing pizza dough